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Spokane leaders ask federal government for emergency aid as fires displace tens of thousands
Summary
State and local officials said they have requested short-term emergency assistance from FEMA and are preparing longer-term aid requests after the Spokane complex fires forced mass evacuations; Governor Bob Ferguson and Mayor Lisa Brown urged patience while recovery planning continues.
Mayor Lisa Brown, the mayor of Spokane, opened a joint briefing the morning after the fires and called the event "the worst natural disaster our region has faced, the Spokane complex of fires," offering condolences to displaced residents and thanking first responders for mutual-aid assistance.
Governor Bob Ferguson said state officials had held a call with federal leaders and submitted a request to FEMA for short-term emergency assistance, including search-and-rescue support and debris-clearing operations. "We just got off a call...we anticipate that [the FEMA request] will be granted much in the same way it was for the flood," Ferguson said, and added that the state would also begin work on longer-term assistance requests.
The governor and other officials said they were preparing a comprehensive accounting of damaged homes, businesses and infrastructure to support federal claims and urged residents and media to help document impacts. Senator Maria Cantwell said federal forestry officials had classified the incident as a top national priority and vowed to press for resources to be prioritized for the region.
Officials emphasized that the emergency declaration and FEMA requests are evolving as incident commanders refine needs on the ground. Mayor Brown said the city and county were compiling asset inventories—including water, wastewater and stormwater systems—to share with federal partners and that a follow-up public update was expected the next day.
